Tag: Basketball

At the start of the season, Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies were confident they would come out at the top of the Western Conference, but it all changed, especially after the NBA trade deadline reached its conclusion.

In a previous interview with ESPN’s Malika Andrews, the all-star point guard boldly claimed that no team, except the Boston Celtics, posed any threat to them. They were “fine” in the West, he said.

Malika Andrews: "Who do you look at around the league as you're studying and say, 'We're gonna have to run through them?'"

Ja Morant: "The Celtics"

"No one in the West?"

"Nah, I'm fine in the West."pic.twitter.com/2iYrc4AxIG

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) December 21, 2022

He also doubled down on his remark. Morant was confident that the Celtics would be their “biggest test.”

Even if he was asked numerous times, the young all-star asserted them as the “top dog” in the West, shrugging off the NBA ‘21-’22 champions, the Golden State Warriors.

Ja Morant was asked about his “I’m fine in the west” comments at shootaround.

Ja: “And I’m standing on that. I stamp it,” he said.

Reporter: What about the Suns?

Ja: “They are in the Western Conference, right? I said I was fine in the Western Conference.”

— Drew Hill (@DrewHill_DM) December 23, 2022

With Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving going to the West, can Morant still be “chill?”

Well, it was up to New Orleans Pelicans guard and NBPA president CJ McCollum to throw some diss at Morant.

This all because @JaMorant said he was good in the West 😂😂😂

— CJ McCollum (@CJMcCollum) February 9, 2023

The Threats

Ja Morant and the Grizzlies stood as the No. 2 seed in the West, 33-21. But after losing eight of their ten games, they are now two games ahead of the Sacramento Kings (31-23). Their rivals in the conference are also preparing, and the names Durant and Irving are all the rave.

Durant averages 29.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 5.3 assists this season. His previous teammate, Irving, is performing in a 27-5.1-5.3 night in, night out.

Both are expected to disrupt the balance in the West, especially with the season reaching its final leg before playoffs begin.

The Suns (30-27) have become a much bigger threat, thanks to the addition of Durant. With Chris Paul and Devin Booker, the No. 6 in the West have formed a superteam of their own.

Paul will make the plays with his 8.7 per game assists, while Booker runs the offense with an average of 26.8 points. 

They also have a reliable DeAndre Ayton in the five. He can both score and crash the boards.

Over at Dallas (31-26), Luka Doncic got some help from Irving. Before Uncle Drew switched teams, it was Luka carrying his team to the fourth seed of the Western Conference. The Grizzlies will be in trouble once they face the Mavs on March 11.

They can no longer disregard the Los Angeles Clippers as well. Kawhi Leonard is playing again, helping Paul George in scoring. Moreso, Eric Gordon has joined the Clippers, which will be an evident danger to the Grizzlies come playoff time.

Don’t Forget the Warriors

Although Stephen Curry will be missing a few weeks due to a leg injury, the Warriors are still terrifying. Jordan Poole is improving incredibly, while Jonathan Kuminga is getting better at shooting the three-ball.

Klay Thompson, on the other hand, finally got his rhythm back. In his last two outputs, against the Oklahoma City Thunder and Portland Trail Blazers, he contributed 42 and 32 points, respectively.

Ja Morant and the Grizzlies lost to the Warriors in their last two meetings. Even if they called the Dubs core “old” and claimed they are “confident” in the West, they still cannot defeat the West’s No. 9th seed.

What do you think OKBET players? Should Morant and the Grizzlies chill and believe that the Celtics are the only threat? Or should they start worrying about the other teams?

Read: Kyrie Irving Expects High-IQ Plays in Dallas

Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry has been riddled with injuries recently, affecting the team this late in the season.

The NBA three-point king averages 29.4 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 6.4 assists on 49.5 percent shooting, and his absences on the court put a huge void in the Warrior offense.

Curry, 34, recently injured his left leg during their matchup against the No. 6 Dallas Mavericks last Saturday. An MRI showed partial tears to his superior tibiofibular ligament and interosseous membrane. According to the report, the Warriors superstar also had a lower leg contusion.

The incident happened when the Chef defended McKinley Wright IV, who was driving toward the basket. Unfortunately, they banged knees with Curry being sent to the stands. He was limping afterward.

Although the Dubs managed to hold off Dallas 119-113, they will play without their leader. He is expected to miss multiple weeks because of his injury, which is crucial, especially with the team as the eighth seed.

But that is just one of the injuries Curry suffered this season. Since last year, he has had five injuries that rendered him ineligible to play.

January 20, 2023

The Warriors went on a road trip without all of their best players. Draymond Green, Klay Thompson, and Andrew Wiggins were out. Thus a depleted Dubs faced the Cleveland Cavaliers. Curry was also ruled out of the game due to hip tightness.

Fortunately, they won the game 120-114.

December 14, 2022

Probably one of the worst injuries Curry had. The Chef suffered a partial dislocation of his left shoulder during their match against the Indiana Pacers. You can also see how painful it was just by checking the video:

It was also a crucial time for the superstar to be sidelined. They were 14-14, and following the loss against the Pacers, the Warriors went on to have four more defeats before going on a five-game win streak.

December 7, 2022

During the Warriors’ matchup with Utah Jazz, Curry was sidelined due to left ankle soreness. Many speculated that the NBA three-point king suffered the injury because of his heavy load to keep his team in the playoff picture.

As a result of his absence, the four-time NBA champs were defeated by the Jazz in a tight game, 123-124.

November 4 and 21, 2022

Days after the NBA 2022-’23 season officially began, Curry was sidelined because of an elbow injury.

The Warriors struggled at the start of the season, suffering a five-game losing streak—all on the road. Adding more “salt to the wound,” Curry missed their game against the New Orleans Pelicans, which they lost.

Then on November 21, he was again ruled out due to the same injury. Hence, they again lost to the Pelicans, this time, in a humiliating fashion, 82-128.

Conclusion

Stephen Curry has suffered many injuries even during the start of his career. His ankles were the primary concern for the superstar, and with Father Time catching up to him, he became even more injury-prone.

Moreso, his absence affects the Warriors, who are trying to push probably one last playoff run with their core of Curry, Green, and Thompson.

Will OKBET players see the Dubs come playoff time with a healthy team? No one knows for sure. But if they are complete in the playoffs, the Warriors will most likely have another shot at winning a title.

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San Miguel Beermen is off to a great start with Jorge Gallent on the helm as they occupy the top-3 seat of the Honda S47 PBA Governor’s Cup, defeating Blackwater Bossing on Wednesday, February 2.

The Beermen dominated the entirety of the game, finishing off Bossing with an 86-105 performance. Jericho Cruz led all scorers with 22, followed by Cameron Clark (20 pts) and June Mar Fajardo (17 pts).

SMB shot 43 percent on the field and 41 percent on threes. Meanwhile, their opponent also had a good performance, with 41% and 33%.

However, Bossing was terrible at sharing the ball. They only had 20 assists compared to Beermen’s 32.

Blackwater was also not taking care of the ball, committing 19 turnovers (TO), which their opponent took advantage of, recording nine steals. The game concluded with SMB having 24 points from TOs and 20 fast break points.

Looking at the stats, SMB’s newest head coach was the main reason their latest game was a blowoff. Gallent ensured that all his players touched the ball, which is why his team had more assists than Bossing.

They also improved their defense, especially from deep, allowing only 27 looks.

“I think our offense is going up because of our defense,” Gallent said after the game. “It’s the defense that’s triggering our offense.”

The Beermen hopes to extend their win streak to 3 once they face Terrafirma Dyip at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City today, February 3.

Can Jorge Gallent continue the streak?

Jorge Gallent, who replaced Leo Austria as Beermen’s head coach, is expected by many OKBET players to have a fashionable win against Dyip. However, SMB cannot tread lightly when going up against Terrafirma after managing an upset against the previously-unbeaten Meralco last January 28.

Moreover, the Beermen is facing an issue where they tend to relax after having a huge lead. 

For instance, their matchup against the Phoenix Fuel Masters. Their lead was 29 before going to halftime but went down to 13 in the fourth.

They somehow managed to rack up points to put away Phoenix for good, 114-93.

“We just have to learn from it, and we just have to play smart,” Gallent pointed out. “In the first half, we kept running [our offense well], and then it suddenly stops. We just got to learn, [and] we just have to watch [the] film and see what’s happening there.

The coach added, “And like I always say, if we give other teams a chance to come back, they will take advantage of it.”

In the last two games, the Beermen relied on Cruz and Clark to initiate blowout after blowout, a strategy they would most likely use when they go against Dyip.

Read more: Lebron James Quickly Becomes 4th All-Time Assist Leader!

Who would have thought that one of the most popular games in the world was created to be a winter diversion? Yes, you read that right, OKBET players. Basketball was initially a game meant to distract children cooped up in the comfort of their homes during the winter season.

One hundred thirty-one years ago, or in 1981, a YMCA Springfield College instructor came up with an idea that changed sports history. James Naismith’s job was to keep all young men busy all year round, keeping them active through activities like baseball and tackle football.

It was fine during the summer and autumn seasons. However, whenever winter comes, they realize that their substitute pastime was only designed indoors. Their only activity during the cold season is calisthenics and a game called “drop the handkerchief.”

To fulfill his responsibility and invent a winter diversion, Naismith searched high and low, thinking of a way to combat the boredom of his students.

While searching for possible solutions one evening, he remembered a child game called “Duck on a Rock.” For Filipinos, it can be associated with the iconic tumbang preso and patintero. 

Its mechanics is to have one of the players guard a stone on top of a larger rock or a tree stump. The objective of the remaining participants is to knock the stone by throwing their own.

With this concept in mind, Naismith had an idea: to have a ball and a goal. To avoid physical contact, he purposely elevated the basket.

The YMCA ballroom became his testing site. He asked the custodian to put a peach basket on the wall at each end of the room. Part of its trial and error is that they have to pause the game every time a player makes a basket, but it did give birth to basketball—a sport meant to be a diversion during winter.

Americans brought it to the Philippines

Americans introduced the newfound sport to the Philippines after they colonized the country. However, Filipinos found it to be a soft game. Players wore long skirts and heeled shoes while playing outdoors.

During the first evolution of basketball, girls’ basketball was more popular. Men and boys were just viewers of the game.

The introduction of men’s basketball happened in 1936, during the Berlin Olympic Games. The Philippines were among the participants and trained for an entire month for the tournament.

Ambrosio Padilla and Jacinto Ciria Cruz led the country’s first Olympic teams. Unfortunately, due to political issues, the United States won the gold medal instead of the Philippines.

Although they were robbed, the Philippine team finished fifth — the highest among Asian teams in Olympic basketball.

Basketball and its Evolution

Ten years after the Berlin Olympic Games, basketball began branching out, especially in America. Two commercial leagues united to form the now-popular National Basketball Association (NBA), thus popularizing the sport even more.

MICAA formed the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) in the Philippines. China also warmed up to Western sports, opening its doors in 1980. The Atlanta Hawks became the league’s ambassadors to the largest market in the world.

In 1989, basketball adapted tennis play setting and became an open sport, allowing professionals to test their skills in amateur competitions.

Before 1990 ended, the Philippines was the first all-professional team to compete in the Asian Games. After seven months, America dominated the Tournament of the Americas by sending 11 NBA players and NCAA Christian Laettner, qualifying them for the Barcelona Olympics.

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